AA batteries

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jimmy83

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Now ive got a flash gun, at some point iam going to need to invest in some decent AA's and charger. Can anyone recommend a set?
 
I use Eneloop batteries and have done for the last two years in various things and I cant fault them.

I don't own the charger yet, but I will soon probably. It and the next model up (BC-900) get a lot of praise on the POTN forums. Albeit under the La Crosse name.

IMO the charger is more important than the batteries to an extent. Sticking Eneloops in a cheap super fast "15 minute" charger will do as much good as using eBay specials.

Those Eneloops for £6.99 are a bargain though so definitely buy a few packs of those before they put the price back up. :)
 
As great as Eneloops/Hybrios are, I much prefer the higher capacity regular rechargables. they are cheaper and I've found them to last more flashes, but you can't keep them in your flash gun.

for things like wireless mice the Hybrios/Eneloops are great as they don't lose their charge over time.
 
2Thumbs said:
I use Eneloop batteries and have done for the last two years in various things and I cant fault them.

I don't own the charger yet, but I will soon probably. It and the next model up (BC-900) get a lot of praise on the POTN forums. Albeit under the La Crosse name.

IMO the charger is more important than the batteries to an extent. Sticking Eneloops in a cheap super fast "15 minute" charger will do as much good as using eBay specials.

Those Eneloops for £6.99 are a bargain though so definitely buy a few packs of those before they put the price back up. :)
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What charger do you use? I would probably get them if I could find a charger for a tenner or so.

POTN forums?

Craikeybaby said:
As great as Eneloops/Hybrios are, I much prefer the higher capacity regular rechargables. they are cheaper and I've found them to last more flashes, but you can't keep them in your flash gun.

for things like wireless mice the Hybrios/Eneloops are great as they don't lose their charge over time.
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Why arent they any good in a camera flash?
 
POTN=photography on the net

they dont give you as many shots or as fast a recharge (for the flash) time, ni-mh batteries are actually quicker than ordinary alkalines to recharge the flash ;)
 
jimmy83 said:
What charger do you use? I would probably get them if I could find a charger for a tenner or so.
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An Energiser one that I bought with a pack of 2500's, pre-Eneloop days.

It charges them nice and slooooow. Between 12 and 14 hours usually.
 
jimmy83 said:
Why arent they any good in a camera flash?
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I never said they weren't any good, just that I preferred other options ;)

If you like to leave your batteries in a flash gun which you only use occasionally they are better.

However, I found that I got more flashes (and probably faster recycle times, but that was only feeling, can't measure that) out of 2900Mah standard rechargables. I don't always carry flash guns with me, but when I do I make sure I have charged the batteries just before I go to the shoot.
 
I use Duracell 2600mA AAs in my 430EX and they charge it up super fast, plus have an Energizer 1hour charger which also came with some 2500mA batteries :) i have 2 sets of Duracell and the Energizers and that is fine plus there fairly cheap like £7 for the Duracells and the Energizers + Charger was a Tenna :D
 
The best batteries Ive ever owned were and are fujicell 2700 and 2800 AA's.
this guy http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/qualitydiscounts/ does them at a very good price and im sure will combine a charger too. The last batch of 16 2700's I ordered came inside 2 days and had been replaced with 2800s as he was awaiting more 2700's. I used themin my old Fuji s9500 and they lasted several shoots including plenty of flash useage.
 
I too would recommend the ebay shop that Brendy does. I've recently had a Uniross charger and 4 x 2700 mAh Uniross Performance AA's from him that perform really well.
 
Brendy said:
The best batteries Ive ever owned were and are fujicell 2700 and 2800 AA's.
this guy http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/qualitydiscounts/ does them at a very good price and im sure will combine a charger too. The last batch of 16 2700's I ordered came inside 2 days and had been replaced with 2800s as he was awaiting more 2700's. I used themin my old Fuji s9500 and they lasted several shoots including plenty of flash useage.
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What do you think to this set? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FUJICELL-CHAR...3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1318
 
Cheers Steep, how long does it take to charge your batteries? 7dayshop dont have any of there own brand batteries in stock :(
 
Uniross Hybrios hold their charge like the Sanyo Eneloops but, as mentioned, their capacity isn't as good as the best conventional NiMH types. You could buy some of each, or some Lithium CR-V3's as a backup.
 
I stopped using rechargables a while ago as they discharge
over a short time without use, now I use energizer ultimate
and they last a age.
 
i have found 7 day shop a good place for this sort of thing i bought the highest figure ones they have
 
fast chargers may not be so kind to batteries, but who cares?
I use Vapex 2900 ones charged in a Uniross sprint 1H charger.
They certainly have a good life in my Canon flashes, But like all NiMH cells
they self discharge over time, so always have spares, and when you expect to take many shots remember to charge first. the cost per flash ratio is minuscule, even if you have to replace the batteries every year or so.

If you only use your flash once or twice a year and expect the batteries to still have a charge, the best bet is to use Alkalines, but don't store them in the gun in case they leak. Keep a spare set anyway.

Charger + batteries can be found on ebay
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
fast chargers may not be so kind to batteries, but who cares?
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Who said anything about that?

I was on about the fact batteries simply don't last as long, in use or otherwise, when charged super quickly.

In my experience of them anyway.
 
I just got myself an energiser charger - which is cracking.

It charges in 15mins, has an in car adapter and aslo came with 4 2200 energiser AA's.

Cost me £25 from a local computer shop - cracking.

Anth
 
2Thumbs said:
Who said anything about that?

I was on about the fact batteries simply don't last as long, in use or otherwise, when charged super quickly.

In my experience of them anyway.
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I find they last just as long ( give as many flashes ) when fast charged, though I could not swear to it, as ambient temperature also plays a part, especially in freezing conditions. In those conditions It is best to swap them for a warm set as soon as they slow up. they revive in your pocket.

As to life of the cells, I am yet to find out as I have only had the charger and six sets of cells for two years... so even now they do not owe me anything.
 
Brendy said:
Absolutely spot on, im using a sony charger with mine and they are fully charged in a few hours, I dont care if I get 1000 uses or 400, when they start to flag, ill pay another couple of quid for new ones.
Fujicell are the best yet, the uniross ones I had before were ok, these just seem to last longer.
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Maybe I should buy those batteries, and get a differance charger. It doesnt give me any info on how long the charger takes to charge the batteries.
 
Most chargers turn off or change the LED colour when they are topped up.
 
Iam still very unsure as to what batteries I should get. Been looking on 7dayshop for the past 30mins trying to decide. Iam after 4AA's and a charger, everyone on here is recommending a different product each time!

Hmmmmm
 
Sanyo Eneloops all the way for occasional use, for regular use I am a fan of the Uniross 2700's because they are no thicker than normal AA's
 
jimmy83 said:
Iam still very unsure as to what batteries I should get. Been looking on 7dayshop for the past 30mins trying to decide. Iam after 4AA's and a charger, everyone on here is recommending a different product each time!

Hmmmmm
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I have some reasonable make 2700mah rechargeables and to be honest they are ok if you charge them then use them. If you charge them and leave them for a few weeks they loose so much charge that they would have less than the eneloops anyway !!

The price for the 4xaa eneloops PLUS charger at £8.99 is excellent value for money at 7 day shop!!!!

Personally I am about to buy 24 of them and the BL700. It might be expensive but it tells you if ANY battery is failing. I can therefore also use it to charge the 30 I still have and bin them when they are knackered. It also tells you what the actual capacity is so that you can sort the batteries into matching sets with the same capacity for maximum time out of them.

In fact if anyone wants any cheap battery chargers let me know because I will be buying 6 or 7 sets and only need 2 of the chargers (to supplement the BL700) so if anyone wants the other 4-5 chargers for the difference in price of £8-10 they can! (otherwise I can get the batteries on their own for £2 less per set)
 
cowasaki said:
I have some reasonable make 2700mah rechargeables and to be honest they are ok if you charge them then use them. If you charge them and leave them for a few weeks they loose so much charge that they would have less than the eneloops anyway !!

The price for the 4xaa eneloops PLUS charger at £8.99 is excellent value for money at 7 day shop!!!!

Personally I am about to buy 24 of them and the BL700. It might be expensive but it tells you if ANY battery is failing. I can therefore also use it to charge the 30 I still have and bin them when they are knackered. It also tells you what the actual capacity is so that you can sort the batteries into matching sets with the same capacity for maximum time out of them.

In fact if anyone wants any cheap battery chargers let me know because I will be buying 6 or 7 sets and only need 2 of the chargers (to supplement the BL700) so if anyone wants the other 4-5 chargers for the difference in price of £8-10 they can!
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Yer I might be interested.
 
I have a Maha Powerex C9000 - a VERY impressive charger and I really recommend it. Has revived some otherwise very dead cells.

I mostly use Sony CycleEnergy's (Similar to Endloop and Hybrio's) with no complaints - I got a load of mine in Tesco for not a huge amount of money.
 
These type of questions like which is better, are useless. Every one will say " The one I bought is the best"
 
oldfella said:
These type of questions like which is better, are useless. Every one will say " The one I bought is the best"
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I disagree entirely that these type of questions are useless. This has been an interesting thread on a topic relevant to nearly all of us. The different members opinions give a bank of info to consider. A good thread IMHO!:)
 
oldfella said:
These type of questions like which is better, are useless. Every one will say " The one I bought is the best"
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That is very cynical. :nono:

Between my wife and myself we have been through quite a lot of cheap (and rubbish) chargers (and cells having an early demise) before I got to Maha. Prior to the C9000 I had the early version of the C204 (and we still use it). The C9000 is simply superior in every way.
 
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